


Overwhelming

by Dragon_Writes



Series: Uncle Jayfeather Chronicles [5]
Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: He's an apprentice here btw, I adore Fernsong now, I forgot to add that oh my gOD, I guess it could be a tiny bit angsty but not really, I have failed in my duties, Some self-indulgent cat writing here folks, Uncle Jayfeather, but yeah it's just some cuteness, so are his sisters, well it’s there now, yay for editing!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-18
Updated: 2019-02-18
Packaged: 2019-10-31 05:00:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17842937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragon_Writes/pseuds/Dragon_Writes
Summary: Fernpaw doesn't want to go to the gathering, and decides Jayfeather is the one to confide in.





	Overwhelming

**Author's Note:**

> I don't like crowds, I was rereading The Sight and Jaypaw's first time at a gathering had me relating, so I dragged Fernpaw into it too.

Padding through the forest, Jayfeather let a rare, contented smile form on his face. The only sound was that of his pawsteps alongside the chirping of birds and scuffling of creatures in their burrows. The sun shone through the trees and warmed his back, ferns brushing his pelt as he passed by. 

The sound of muffled voices cut through the silence, pausing him in his tracks as he strained to hear what they were saying.

“Shh, he’ll hear us!”

“Uh, are you sure this is a good idea?”

“Quiet, I wanna catch his tail this time!”

Sighing, Jayfeather turned around and faced the bush from where the voices arose. “Alright you three, come on out now.”

The sounds of leaves brushing against fur and shuffling pawsteps greeted him as the three apprentices exited their hiding place. “Care to explain what you’re all doing out of camp without your mentors, and stalking a medicine cat no less?” he asked, staring the three young cats down despite being unable to see them.

“S-sorry, uncle Jayfeather, uh, we’ll go back to camp now,” Fernpaw stuttered, his paws scuffing the leaves on the forest floor.

“Calm down, Fernpaw,” Hollypaw soothed, “Sorry, uncle Jayfeather, our bee-brained sister thought we could sneak up on you.”

“Hey!” squeaked Sorrelpaw, “You guys didn’t have to come if you didn’t want to.” 

Fed up with their bickering, Jayfeather raised his tail for silence. “That’s enough,” he snapped. “Go on back to camp, your mentors are probably looking for you, and I doubt they’re too happy. Besides, shouldn’t you be resting for the gathering tonight?”

“Oh StarClan, you’re right,” Hollypaw wailed. Flattening his ears at the high-pitched voice, Jayfeather turned towards the other two.

“Well? Go on, shoo,” he said, trying to drown out the insistent muttering of Hollypaw as she berated herself and her siblings, promising herself she would catch something on her way back to camp to make up for her disobedience.

“Fiiine,” Sorrelpaw drawled, “But I’ll get you next time!”

As she followed her sister away, Jayfeather tilted his head slightly at the sound of only two fading sets of pawsteps. “Yes, Fernpaw?” he asked.

There was a pause before Fernpaw answered. “I don’t want to go to the gathering tonight…” he finally mumbled, fluffy tail brushing the ground and disturbing the covering of leaves.

Clearing a space on the ground, Jayfeather lay down, tail wrapped tightly around himself. His ears pricked forward and his head tilted slightly in confusion at the young tom’s admission. “Okay, why exactly?”

The sound of leaves being brushed away and fur settling against the ground met Jayfeather’s ears as Fernpaw sat across from him, paws shuffling nervously. “Uh, it sounds kinda weird, but um, it’s the noise…” he trailed off, his nervousness thick in the air.

“The noise?” Jayfeather repeated. “You mean, the noise of everyone at the gathering?”

“Uh, yeah, I don’t know, but it, um, it makes me feel really nervous? And kinda sick, but it’s like there’s just so much going on, that it gets, uh, it gets…” Fernpaw stopped, seemingly searching for a good word to describe the experience.

“Overwhelming?” Jayfeather finished.

“Yeah!” Fernpaw squeaked, shuffling his paws in embarrassment at the outburst. “Uh, yeah, it’s really overwhelming, because it’s like there’s so many cats talking and it gets harder to hear who you’re talking to and there’s so many names and scents to remember and-”

“Woah, woah, calm down,” Jayfeather cut in. “Take a deep breath, before you make yourself pass out and I have to drag you bag to camp whilst explaining that you launched yourself into panic about the gathering.” Listening as Fernpaw steadied his breathing, Jayfeather stood and padded over to his nephew. “Hey,” he whispered as he settled down next to the apprentice, “Want me to let you in on something?”

A small sniffle answered his question, and so Jayfeather continued. ‘No going back now’ he thought. “I’m not all that fond of the gathering either.” 

Fernpaw’s eyes burned through his pelt and he shuffled uncomfortably. “R-really?” The young tom whispered. “Y-you mean it’s not, uh, weird?”

“Of course not,” Jayfeather responded, making a conscious effort to keep the snappiness out of his voice. “The gatherings are loud and there’s so many scents everywhere, it makes it hard to focus. But you get used to it,” he added, brushing his pelt against his nephew’s in a hopefully comforting gesture. “So, uh, don’t worry too much.”

The two sat in silence, the birds chirping being the only sound around them. At some point Fernpaw began humming along to the melodies, paws subconsciously tapping out a beat on the forest floor. Jayfeather flickered his ears at the sounds and began to groom his pelt, content with the peace while it lasted. 

A cool breeze came through the trees, the birds’ chirping gradually quieting as dusk approached. Getting to his paws, Jayfeather arched his back in a stretch, Fernpaw scrabbling to his paws a heartbeat later. In comforting silence, the two padded back to camp. As they entered the clearing through the thorn tunnel, the sound of two sets of pawsteps came racing up. 

“Fernpaw, where've you been?” Sorrelpaw demanded, Hollypaw panting by her side.

Leaving the three apprentices be, Jayfeather padded to the gathering patrol and stood beside Leafpool, mewing a quick greeting. As Bramblestar organised the cats to leave, Jayfeather felt a paw tap his side. “Uh, uncle Jayfeather?”

“Yes, Fernpaw?”

“Thank you, you really helped me, and, uh, don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”Jayfeather stared wide-eyed as Fernpaw stumbled off back to his sisters, ignoring Leafpool’s questioning. As the patrol began to leave, Jayfeather fell into step beside his brother.

“Where were you and Fernpaw?” Lionblaze asked. “Hollypaw and Sorrelpaw said you didn’t follow them back to camp.”

“Nothing to worry about,” Jayfeather responded. Pricking his ears, he located Fernpaw near the back of the patrol, his sisters at either side. “Nothing at all.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this self-indulgent mess haha, please comment any suggestions for the Uncle Jayfeather Chronicles, I'd love to hear your ideas!


End file.
